Drip irrigation farming guide plus finances
Drip irrigation farming guide plus finances
How to start drip irrigation farming plus finances
It either takes forever before it rains and when it does all the crops and animals are carried away.
Today we want to go through a solution on how to avoid such huge losses and be able to produce year-round. Farming with drips is ideal since you don’t have to wait on rains for you to harvest.
Drip irigation farming
Due to the rise in global temperatures or global warming and the increased demand for water resources farming is even more challenging. Drip irrigation farming not only ensures quality food but water conservation too.
The global population has increased greatly and it is not slowing down or stopping any time soon. The demand for water in household needs and other needs like electricity is ever-growing.
Drip irrigation farming is the best way to keep going.
With all these, there is a need to share the little resources that are available to meet the ever-growing demands.
So we as farmers are required to produce more with little water and at the same time share the limited resources of water.
Solution
Drip irrigation solves this dilemma as it not only guarantees increased productivity but also a better use of water. This is true since water is delivered directly tot he plant roots where it is needed.
This type of irrigation can be done in different ways but not limited to automation, machines or manually.
The application is also very wide and very cost-effective.
There are three major factors you need to consider when using drip irrigation. These factors include
- source of water
- filtration
- water outlet
- drip point/pipes
Source of water
You can use any available water source to irrigate the farm as long as you have a reliable pump.
Mkulima there are different pumps for different water sources for example in the case of shallow wells or rivers.
Make sure you choose your pumps according to your water source plus the distance to be covered from the source to the farm.
Filtration system
The filtration system should be included in your irrigation system. With good filtration, you will be assured of reliable water flow and low running costs on the farm and pump.
A good system can keep your pump in good condition reducing wear and tear in the process saving you some money on repairs.
there are two types of filtration systems. One type is used in filtering soil particles and another that filters fine particles or insects.
Pipes
This is the main component of the irrigation system. You can irrigate your farm without the other components but never without a pipe system.
When picking your pipe ensure it has holes at specific intervals. These holes positions are what you will use as a yardstick when choosing where to plant the crops.
if you are planting over a large area for example trees buy blind tubes without holes and create the holes in the right places.
For a small farm or vegetable farming use the emitter or those with holes. Using the blind tubes will lead to your incurring more costs.
When buying the blind tube ensure you ask for all the needed items. If not the holes you make might be big or expand in the future leading to flooding on the farm.
The flooding can also be caused by small holes since the self-made holes will not be having nay regulators or drippers for the flow of water.
Benefits
Drip irrigation systems come with many benefits to the crops and the farmer
- Equal distribution of water to plants
- prevents soil erosion
- reduces costs
- low labor costs
- reduced water consumption
- ease of applying herbicides
- control growth of weeds
- reduces stress on the plants by human movements
- controls spread of diseases
- high-quality produce
- more quantity of harvest
Factors
The factors you have to consider in drip irrigation include
- The type of soil
- availability of water
For your drip irrigation to be successful you can use mulching to help reduce water loss due to sun heat.
You can put the mulching on the ground or above.
This will help you in better management of water while reducing evaporation.
Apart from drip irrigation, I would recommend soil testing so that you know the soil nutrients and what plants to farm.
Doing a soil test will also help you in adding the needed requirements.
Estimated Costs
- Devices 1,600,00
- seeds 300,000
- Herbicides 200,000
- fertilizer 100,000
- water 400,000
- experts 200,000
- operations 400,000
- total 3,200,000
duration five months to five years.
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